Rick Tocchet Linked to Eastern Conference Powerhouse, per Insider

Tocchet, who skated for the Bruins during the mid-1990s, returned this weekend with his TNT colleagues.

Rumor suggests he will make a side trip to Boston either before or after traveling to the TNT facility in Atlanta, further fueling rumors of interest from the Bruins.

Veteran Vancouver reporter Rick Dhaliwal initially reported Boston's interest in Tocchet and then added that other teams, including the Seattle Kraken, who have already interviewed him, the Flyers, Penguins, Kings (conditional), Islanders, and Utah Mammoth, might also be in search of his services.

'Boston is a club, I've been saying about Boston, keep an eye on the Bruins,' Dhaliwal said on his radio show with Don Taylor, 'Donnie and Dhali' on Wednesday.

'I will be surprised if the Bruins don't contact Tocchet. He's a really Boston-type guy. Cam Neely, Rick Tocchet played the same game, power forward.'

Another NHL insider, Jimmy Murphy, also confirmed that the Bruins are trying to secure an interview with Tocchet.

Tocchet had a short stint with Bruins president Cam Neely in 1996, late in Neely's playing career, a relationship that could influence Boston's interest.

Neely is said to be very fond of Tocchet and sees him as the kind of player who can make the team competitive in a short-term rebuilding effort.

After three bumpy years in Vancouver, Tocchet opted to move on after the Canucks didn't make the playoffs and behind-the-scenes drama with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller occurred.

With Miller departed and his time with Pettersson over, Tocchet is a coveted coaching asset.